Theo's Steaks Sides & Spirits

TLDR: expensive but phenomenal food. I've driven through Cambridge Maryland at least a hundred times on my way to the beaches on the Eastern shore. I've stopped to grab coffee from the Dunkin donuts here. This time we spent a few days at the Hyat Regency Chesapeake Bay. Bored of eating the resort food we decided to look outside and found this gem. It's expensive but in demand. Call early to reserve a table or prepared to be disappointed. Finally a steakhouse that's worth writing home about! Their 32 oz bone in ribeye is just out of this world. I don't know where they get their cuts from but wherever it is, it is something special. We got a thick juicy cut with just a hint of bone sticking out of it. It was cooked to perfection (rare of course). No sauces or garnishes to distract from the star of the show. And rightly so. Of course, it is to be shared. Although it feels like such a shame to have to share it. :-) The New York strip, while good, could not compare. In any other steakhouse it would have a name for itself, but not here. They do have a filet as well but none of us are fans of filets, so I can't say anything about it. We tried the shrimp cocktail, shrimp tempura, tuna tartare appetizers and all of them where excellent! Beware the horseradish in the shrimp cocktail sauce - eyewateringly good. There is a complimentary bread basket with a house made honey mustard dipping and a whipped butter ( again a house special recipe) dipping which was really good. The brussel sprouts and bok choy ( what's that now?) were in a class of their own. Classy dining setting inside with heavy furniture, huge mirrors etc. They have very limited outdoor seating as well. Great service, great food, great ambiance! Pro tip 1: get the bone-in ribeye Pro tip 2: call ahead for a table

My husband and I reserved a late dinner here - 9 pm arrival - after an unfortunately taxing day we’d had on our intended “getaway weekend”. We were met by a waitress who’s personality could be described as dry but kind and honestly - she was just what we needed to end our day on a better note. This place rated “perfect” for us. The bartender - positive energy - added a fun layer to our evening and even another server in the restaurant and the chef contributed nicely to our experience as well. When we arrived there were 3 seated tables beyond ours. Not long after we ordered appetizers those tables and a couple bar patrons had left and the restaurant was us alone with the staff. This opened a guest experience dynamic the owners should be proud of. We witnessed the “end of night” behavior of a team of Saturday night restaurant workers at Theo’s. There was no complaining. No gossip. No drama. No rushing of the patrons still there. No dirty little bar / restaurant secrets revealed. The staff were ALL happy - Kitchen crew included - as they came out of the kitchen periodically. They all appeared proud of their restaurant and seemed to be proud of each other (we tried a recommended dessert created by one of their servers who it was shared, was a pastry chef in CA who’d recently moved back to Cambridge). We met the chef who made our steaks and he told us about the owners vision for their food. We shared stories and a fun love of 70’s and 80’s music with our server and the bartendar and laughed with them for an hour or so as we dined and they prepared for the next day. They were not rushed, and again, didn’t rush us and this all contributed to frankly the best experience we had in Cambridge this past weekend by far. Some details. The spot is small but it was quaint and well appointed from a decor standpoint. Not over done. Not underdone. The staff worked well together. The menu was appealing and the food was what we’d expect. We spent over $200 for 2 but admit we left our server a substantial tip. Sometimes you just have to respond to a great experience with a little extra. We plan to return here and also try another restaurant owned by the same people, Ava’s, the next time we are in town. Thank you to Theo’s staff for ensuring our weekend getaway didn’t get away without a wonderful memory.